The Sharp Knife of A Short Life
by marajk
Summary: It's funny when you're dead how people start listening. What if Clove had been covertly trying to protect Katniss during the Games? Written from Clove's POV during some of her time in the arena.


There are two things that you should know about me.

The first is that I'm not really as evil and sadistic and murderous as everyone assumes.

The second is that the first was all an act, and my personal sign of rebellion against the Capitol.

My name was Clove, and I was one of the tributes from District 2.

**xxx**

Immediately off the podium, I raced to the nearest set of knives that I could see and got my hands on them, fighting off several other tributes to retrieve them first.

I was successful.

From there, I locked my vision on The Girl on Fire, or so they called her.

She was hunched over, clutching at a measly survival pack when the boy from District 9 stood over her, a machete in his hand.

I reacted immediately, and whipped a knife sharply into his back.

It sliced straight through his body and I watched as he slumped over to greet death.

I saw the fear in The Girl's eyes as she met my determined stare.

I paused a moment before throwing my best survival-esque knife toward her.

However, I wasn't aiming for her, at all.

Had I been, she would have been dead on the spot.

No, no. I was aiming for the little pack that she was carrying.

Perhaps if she had a knife, she could last longer in these Games, buying me more time to help her.

I small smile broke my lips as I heard the satisfying sound of blade splitting cloth and not flesh.

The Girl on Fire scampered backwards and quickly collected herself as she dashed off towards the woods, my knife sticking proudly out of her bag.

I could have followed her, but instead I turned back to the remaining tributes, my knives in hand.

I wanted to narrow down the competition for her as much as possible.

And so I began to kill.

**xxx**

When my Career pack saw The Girl hunkered up in a tree, I panicked.

I had my knives which I could have easily hit her with.

And I being the smallest, I was the most adept at climbing trees.

However, when it came down to it, the arrogance and pride of the other Careers got in the way.

Cato insisted that he could go after her himself and Glimmer attempted to shoot her down with her bow and arrow.

When both failed and Lover Boy suggested we just wait for her to come down, I quickly jumped on this idea.

It would provide her time to think something through.

After all, she was smart.

She didn't receive a training score of 11 for nothing.

**xxx**

When darkness came, I slept with one eye open and one hand on my knife.

I was sure that one of the other Careers, more specifically Cato, was onto my scheme.

We had agreed during our joint training that the Victor of this year's Games was to be a patron of District 2.

But this also meant that the clock was ticking down on our alliance and our friendship.

In our Games, one of us ultimately would have to die.

However, in My Games, both of us were going to die.

One of us willingly and unfortunately, the other by force.

Because I knew Cato wouldn't go down without a fight.

So when the tracker jackers rained down on us and Glimmer fell, I was almost hoping that he would go back and save her.

But he was Cato, and he didn't love anybody, except for himself.

Or so I thought.

**xxx**

After The Girl somehow managed to ingeniously blow up our supplies, I volunteered to go out and look for her and her little ally.

When I discovered the little girl from District 11 suspended in one of our traps, I yelled for Marvel.

And then, I booked it out of there.

He came running, spear in hand, and when he saw The Girl cutting District 11 out of the net, he took his chance and threw it.

Before the spear had even hit District 11, Marvel was lying dead with an arrow protruding from his neck.

I hated to see one of my allies die, but this way, I killed two birds with one stone.

I watched as she covered District 11 in flowers and laid her to rest.

I listened as the announcement was made that there could be two Victors as long as they were from the same District.

I widened my eyes as I thought of what this meant.

As I made my way back to the destroyed supply camp, I mentally counted the remaining tributes.

Including Cato and I, there were 6 of us left.

Two pairs of two, me and Cato and The Girl and Lover Boy, and two rouge tributes, the girl from 5 and the boy from 11.

As Cato embraced me and exclaimed that we could go home together, now, my stomach churned.

On the outside I smirked and laughed and proclaimed my excitement at how easy it would be to wipe out the other four.

But on the inside, I thought how much harder this rule made My Games.

**xxx**

I personally volunteered to go to the Feast and retrieve our vital supply pack.

Cato objected and said we go together, but I crossed my arms in mock anger and argued that I could do it myself.

He told me that it was too dangerous, to which I angrily retorted that he just wanted all the glory for himself.

I still had to give the cameras a good show, after all.

After much persuading, he finally gave in and said that he would be close and just to call if I needed him.

I told him that I'd be fine, which was a full-blown lie.

As I turned towards the Cornucopia, I was certain of only one thing: that I would most certainly not be okay.

I closed my eyes and exhaled as I began the slow and painful march to my death.

**xxx**

I watched as The Girl grabbed her supply pack off the table.

I breathed in deeply before throwing a knife towards her.

I was only aiming above her head, but she moved and it hit her in the face, leaving a gash about her left eye.

Aware that the cameras were definitely on us, I charged her, a look of rage and determination etched on my face.

She attempted to shoot an arrow at me, but I dodged it and tackled her.

I may have been small, but I sure packed a mean punch.

As she fought against me, I pinned her flailing arm with my foot as I held a knife at her throat.

I smirked down at her, fully aware that all of Panem was currently watching our cat fight.

It was Showtime.

"Where's Lover Boy?" I glared at her, a crazed glint in my eye. She just struggled beneath my grip as she attempted to break free of my hold.

"Oh I see. You were gonna help him right?" I sneered, sarcasm oozing from my voice.

"Well, that's sweet. You know, it's to bad you couldn't help your little friend. That little girl. What was her name again? Rue?" I forced myself to look her in the unblinking eyes; to silently apologize for the pain I was causing her. I felt the fire inside her stir as I mentioned the girl from District 11.

"Well, we killed her and now we're gonna kill you." I said as I pulled a knife from my jacket and pressed it to her lips. But suddenly, I was no longer on top of The Girl. I was dangling three feet off the ground, imprisoned in the grasp of the dark boy from District 11.

No. I thought. No, no, no.

This was not part of the plan.

**xxx**

District 11 wasn't supposed to be there.

I was just supposed to pin The Girl and make it appear that I had beaten her.

I had been planning, at the last second, to get overpowered and with any luck, The Girl would be smart enough to kill me then and there.

But now, I was barely aware of what was happening as District 11 shook me and screamed in my face if I killed his District partner.

I cried, truthfully, that I didn't, but he didn't believe me.

Instead, he threw me to the ground and picked up a large rock, about the size of a loaf of bread.

So I did what any scared, vulnerable kid would do.

I lost it.

"Cato!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Cato!"

"Clove!' I heard his voice right before District 11 brought the rock down hard against my temple.

I collapsed to the ground, my head throbbing and heart pounding.

From there, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

I witnessed District 11 spare The Girl and I thought to myself that at least my efforts weren't in vain.

The Girl on Fire would live to fight another round.

**xxx**

"Clove!" Cato's voice was much closer now, and riddled with something I had never heard before.

My district partner's usual tone of strength and authority was instead replaced with desperation. With sorrow. And with pain.

"Stay with me, please!" Cato begged as he dropped to he knees, his spear in hand.

"C-Cato...?" I hardly could recognize my own voice. My head was throbbing and I knew that the end was near.

"Clove, dammit, no! You've got to stay with me! We're supposed to win!" he cried as conflicting emotions of anger and sadness clouded his face.

"L-Listen to me" I whispered, my voice weak and trembling with pain. I motioned for him to come closer, so that the cameras wouldn't be able to hear.

"Y-you've got to l-let her win, Cato" I stammered as it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

"What! Why?" he exclaimed, anger now taking over his features.

"You h-heard me. Don't you see C-Cato? We were b-born to die. They don't c-care about us. We're n-nothing more than entertainment to t-them. A-And if she wins, m-maybe things can c-change" I grimaced, the pain in my head becoming unbearable.

"Clove..." Cato's voice became painfully silent, all traces of anger leaving him, as he watched me, his humanity, and his will to live meet their deaths.

"Kill District 11, for her" I mumbled as my vision went blissfully fuzzy and I knew that this was the end.

"I will. But not for her, Clove. For you. It's always been for you" he said as he clenched his fist around his spear. He leaned down and planted a rough kiss on my small lips before standing up and tearing off into the woods after District 11, a new found fire burning deep in his chest about the place where his heart sat.

And then just like that, I was gone.

**xxx**

There are two things that you should know about me.

The first is that I was a Career tribute from District 2 highly skilled with knives and trained my entire life to kill.

The second is that I was born to die.

My name was Clove, and I gave away everything so that The Girl on Fire could win.

* * *

**A Note From The Author:  
****This was just an interesting thought I had, and it definitely adds an interesting plot twist!  
****I kind of combined elements of both the book and movie for Clove's death.  
****Reviews are highly appreciated :) Let me know what you guys thought of this idea! **


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